We’d like to present our bedroom with the award for Most Often Tweaked. It just seems like time goes by and a few things get added to the mix and it inspires us to remove the top bed rails, hang a ram above the bed, ditch the duvet, or move out some horse art. But we’re all about trial and error and learning as we go (who gets it all right on the first try? And if you do, please share your secrets!). It’s definitely one of our more out there rooms (read: not everyone’s cup of tea), but we like that since it’s our own private bedroom and not a common space where we entertain. So as long as we love it, my mom or the lady next door don’t have to understand our giant dandelion-ish chandelier or Señor Ram (who was originally seen here doing yoga with Burger)…
Although mom recently shocked the heck outta me and actually said she liked the whole room. I guess that means we have to do something crazier sometime soon. Haha. But really, one lesson that we’ve loved learning over the last few years is how much freedom there is in allowing yourself to make your home “yours” and not trying to please everyone – just do what you love so your house gives you a big ol’ hug whenever you walk in the door.
Anyway, this time the tweakage in here was inspired by our new nightstands. And those guys were much awaited. For the last 8+ months we’ve been using side tables from our first house’s living room, which were about 5″ too low (reaching down half a foot from bed was muy uncomfortable) and completely and utterly drawer-less (read: messy and waaay too tempting for a 15 month old to grab stuff and carry it around/hide it).
But thanks to the $11 yard sale nightstands that we grabbed last week in Delaware (mentioned here), we finally had two extremely appreciated features: about five more inches of much needed height (so they’re finally easily-accessible from bed) and drawers, glorious drawers!
Of course this side of the room is still only about 10% done (our last bedroom took about four years to evolve into the room we knew and loved when we left) so we still need a cabinet on the left wall to balance out the door, a longer and lighter bench at the foot of the bed, maybe a colorful throw at the foot of the bed, perhaps some smaller objects on either side of the ram, etc.
But before I get to the tweakage they inspired, I’ll go off on a side tangent. Typical. The cause of the tangent? Dude, our side tables stunk! So we had to deal with that super musty smell. And fast. They’re mid-century originals, so I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised that they smelled 60 years old. Maybe even 160. So to google I sprung, where I quickly read about and tried two different methods. The first was wiping them down with mild soap and water (Dr. Bronners). Total non-difference. Still smelled like a moldy rug. The second method was wiping them down with undiluted vinegar. Amazing difference! It worked like a charm. I just used a rag to rub them down inside and out with vinegar (which definitely smelled like salty potato chips until they dried and suddenly had no odor). Seriously, they went from smelling so musty that it smacked you in the face when you entered the room to not even smelling if you put your face in the drawer and take a nice big whiff. Woot. So if your drawers smell, you might want to try it. Not your underwear. I literally mean your drawers.
Back to our other night table related tweaks. Here’s the wide shot of that completely unfinished side of our bedroom again. With the pillows going both directions just for fun. Because I’m wild and crazy like that. Oooh, hooorizontaaaaaal…
Ahh, now they’re veeeerticallll…
Notice anything different besides the pillow turnage? Well, for one, the sleek lines of our new mid-century night stands have inspired us to remove the finials that we added to Ed the bed and try something that Bryn recommended to us a while back instead (she linked to this pic found here, and we really liked it).
Look, it’s Ed the bed. And he has some handsome contrasting post tops. But instead of using something permanent (like paint) I decided to use something free and completely removable (like ribbon). I already had some in my little gift closet full of to-be-regifted bags & bows. And I thought the greeny-gold color would tie in nicely with the curtains. So I cut four small pieces off of the long strand that must have come wrapped around some big box last December and used regular old scotch tape to attach them at the seam (which I faced towards areas that we don’t see, like the wall behind the bed)…
Oh and I wrapped that piece of tape up and across the top of the post so they were nice and secure from the side and the top.
Notice any other tweaks? The art finally got raised thanks to the new higher side tables (we were waiting to get them to see where we’d want the art to hang permanently so we didn’t make ten holes in the wall along the way). Originally we thought the art should line up with Sir. Ram, but we held it up in a bunch of spots and liked this placement best. Probably because it creates a triangle with the chandelier – and Sir Ram holds down the base of it like the bad arse that he is.
Oh and we also grabbed new lampshades from Target for $19 each (with 5% off thanks to using our Target card, I love that) because the last ones were looking a little dingy and the slightly wider shape of these guys slayed us. They’re actually either the exact same shade or extremely similar to the one that we purchased back in 2009 for our basement makeover (seen here).
Oh duh and we finally put the Ikea duvet that we mentioned buying here on the bed. We heard so many good things from a bunch of you guys who had the same one and loved it. And surprise, surprise – we love it too. It seems to magically stay clean even with a baby and a dog and it’s comfy like a big ol’ cloud. We also love that it’s nice and calm looking, just because we like the idea of letting other things like our Alaska berry prints, the horse art, my paint chip creation, our giant mirror over the sink nook, and the big chandelier be the stars and add texture, interest, & color in other ways. But we’re still definitely thinking about bringing a pop of color to the foot of the bed in the form of a throw. Or we could build/upholster a longer, lighter bench with some color going on. And even bring some hue up on the ceiling. Oh the possibilities!
I’m banking on at least 50 more tweaks over the next few years as the room slowly fills in a bit more. Which is actually quite titillating to a gal like me. Seriously, that’s my idea of a good time. Look, here’s some photoshop fun. Ooh a bright throw and a soft plum bench along with a moody greeny-gold ceiling could be interesting…
Oh who am I kidding, we’ll change our minds a million more times (and it looks crazy because it’s fake – haha). But it should be fun to see where we end up someday!
Any tweaks going on in your bedroom? Do tell. But let’s keep it clean. My mom is probably reading (and admiring Sir Ram).
Kimberly says
Is there anything vinegar CAN’T do?!?!? (I mean, other than make dinner . . . )
Amanda says
My husband and I just inherited a bunch of mid-century furniture from my grandparents’ house. I will have to try the vinegar trick on one piece (as it definitely has a smell!)
We’re working on adding a few touches to our bedroom — for the most part, amazingly, our inherited furniture fits in perfectly (down to two upholstered chairs in the same color as our sheets/bedspread). Our end-of-bed bench needs some help, though! We used to have mostly white shabby-chic furniture, so I painted an oak table bench white and topped it with tan fabric. It now does not match at all. I’m not sure whether I should sand it down and give it a cherry finish or whether I should just look for a replacement entirely.
The more I think about it the more I want to do! It’s never-ending!
Nora says
My parents have a full MCM bedroom set just like your end tables (in fact, theirs are almost identical to yours). Funny how tastes go — my mom hates it after 45 years but I always tell her how cool it is. Also, glad you took those wooden thingys down from either side of the ram head. Looks much better without them.
Natalia says
No recommendations or great knowledge from me. I just have to say your jokes ALWAYS crack me up! Sir Ram doing yoga with Burger. Still laughing! You guys are awesome!
Tracy says
Every time you make a master bedroom post, I always want to ask if you have trouble/problems with the fact that your master opens directly into sort of the main corridor in your home? I’m not even sure what I mean by problems… but we have a first floor master (in a two-story home) and sometimes I feel like I should shut the door to the master during the day. But if I do I’m cutting off a light source into the house (a bedroom window allows light to spill into our main corridor). We do make the bed daily, but it just seems like it’s *right* *there* when we have people over. I do close it if we’re hosting a party or similar; but when people just drop by – it’s open.
Also, I love that you thumb your nose at the much bally-hooed “rule” about how the bed should face the entry.
YoungHouseLove says
I think we’re just open living people, so we like keeping all doors open for the most part during the day (although we do sometimes close bathroom doors to keep Clara and Burger out of trouble, haha). Maybe it helps that the colors of the master sort of work with the colors in the hallway and other nearby living areas so they don’t jump out?
xo,
s
Sabrina says
I showed this entry to my husband to show him what that dandelion light looks like in a real home, and what is the only thing he noticed? Burger’s shame. lol Men!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha. He likes to steal the show.
xo,
s
Jennifer says
I love those side tables. Hopefully you end up with the dresser. I scored a similar dresserish piece a while back and use it as a tv stand and keep dvds/pictures/etc in the drawers.
Krystle @ ColorTransformedFamily says
My grandmother had a bedroom suit with the same nightstands. When she passed away my dad offered them to me but I passed it up because I didn’t think they would look good. Y’all make them work though. I might have to dig them out of storage some day.
On another note we are getting ready to paint our bedroom. The color is not much different than your bedroom. I am so excited because all our furniture is dark. I think it will pop once the walls go lighter.
Kristen Hansen says
Everything looks great (as always)! We just found a cute wooden cabinet on our neighbor’s curb (aka trash), but it has a distinct smell too. What kind of vinegar did you use when cleaning your end tables?
Thanks,
Kristen
YoungHouseLove says
Just regular white vinegar (undiluted). Good luck!
xo,
s
Rebecca Foxworth says
Years ago, we received a 100 year old trunk that had traveled the world, but now smelled old and musty. After trying EVERYTHING we could think of, my then-83 year old stepfather (he’s 90 now!) asked why I wasn’t using the “radiant heat of the sun” to get the smell out (that’s what HIS Mama would have done). After two days of being open and having the sun beat down on it, the smell was gone.
YoungHouseLove says
Amazing! Free and easy too. Haha. Love it.
xo,
s
Barbara says
I love everything you have done in the house, you are two of the most industrious young people ever. I have another project for your bedroom, if you are interested in a big one. Have you ever thought of getting rid of the door? Maybe a sliding barn door or a pocket door? You could keep the white door but put it on a slider. Just asking…..it is a lovely room, very serene and inviting. But the door, I am not sure about the door. Love your blog it is wonderful to see people repurposing things and trying to get the most out of their dollars.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a really fun idea! It’s the only solid 6-panel door in our house (the rest are hollow core and flat) but who knows! We love sliding barn doors!
xo,
s
threadbndr says
I’m loving the new nightstands. You should look for another MCM piece for the ‘nook’, or maybe barrister bookshelves or even real builtins. That part of the room looks so unfinished. I keep wanting you to put bookshelves in there, but then I have books in literally every room of my house LOL.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, we’re not sure if we want something that’s only flush with the nook (like shallow bookcases and built-ins) or if we want something deeper to balance the height and weight of the door on the other side. Not sure where we’ll end up- but MCM barrister bookshelves sound awesome!
xo,
s
Stefanie says
I am definitely looking to make a few tweaks in our room, but I need some help! There is only one place to put our bed in our room (without being directly under an off-center window. This position puts one nightstand under bare wall, and one under another off-center window (pretty much theyre at the corner). Anyway…What I want is curtains and a headboard, but I think the lack of wall space might make this look overwhelming. Not to mention that the headboard, though center of the wall, will be off-center within the actual wall space. What do you think? Any ideas? I almost emailed you pics, but since you don’t do design dilemmas, I figured this was my dilemma x 2.
Thanks!
Stefanie
YoungHouseLove says
In our first bedroom we had a bed under a window with two curtained built ins on either side of it and had different window curtains over the bed on the window than on the built ins, and that worked. So I think your headboard + curtains can easily work! I would cheat the curtains so they make the headboard look as balanced as possible (hanging the rods a little wide on certain sides so the room feels more equal). Once you hang the curtains the fact that the rod is cheated to one side won’t be obvious at all. Good luck!
xo,
s
Olivia S. says
I really like those tables! My husband and I are dealing with the same problem that you used to have – using what are supposed to be IKEA coffee tables as our bedside tables. They are too low, no drawers, messy scene, the whole shebang. I am holding out hope that we will find some at a garage sale, too. Thanks for the endless inspiration that practical, classy, and inexpensive deals can be found! :)
PS – Does Burger have a twin who needs a loving home? In Oregon? ;)
Beth says
omg for realz burger just chills like that? i love him, he needs a tv show.
YoungHouseLove says
I completely agree. I would watch a Burger-cam 24/7. He’s by far the most hilarious person in our house.
xo,
s
Wom-mom Ethne says
Vinegar is great for everything! I use it instead of fabric softener in my wash, along with my natural homemade laundry detergent. 1/2 cup vinegar and 2-3 tablespoons detergent. Don’t know if you make stuff like this, but I gave you our link anyway about it:
http://www.wom-mom.com/2011/03/homemade-laundry-detergent.html
Wom-mom Ethne says
PS, the vinegar smell goes away after rinse too.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much! I was all of Clara’s clothes with vinegar the first time (we heard it strips out extra dyes and chemicals to get them as close to organic as possible). I love that they don’t come out smelling like vinegar!
xo,
s
Andrea says
those night stands are gorgeous. i’m pretty sure i choked a little when i read how much you paid for them. i’ll keep my fingers crossed that i can find something like that for our room.
Rene says
Love the organization!!! I wish I had the discipline you have.
Melanie says
Great room!! Do you mind telling me what the paint colour on the walls is? It is so pretty and soothing!! Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s Valspar’s Carolina Inn Club Aqua (color matched to Olympic No-VOC paint). Hope it helps!
xo,
s